Thursday, November 29, 2018

King tides and 12,000 cfs at the Elwha nearshore 27 November 2018
Anne Shaffer of Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "Over the course of
the summer we're often asked of the west delta: 'Does this area really
connect to the river?' Here is the answer. With the season's first high
river flows and the years highest tides the entire west delta is
reactivated, allowing fish, including juvenile coho, Chinook, steelhead,
and adult bull trout, cutthroat, and (hopefully) returning chum to move
freely thru the reconnected side channels. Except of course west of the
Place dike, which is instead teeming only with stickleback. The
reconnected hydrodynamic sediment engine of the nearshore Elwha is
complex, critically important, and visually spectacular. The resulting
size of the area has gotten so big it's now almost impossible to capture
in one frame."

‘Our way of life in its last hour,’ Tsawout tell pipeline hearings
A way of life is at risk if the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline
goes ahead. That sentiment was made clear through what was an
emotionally charged testimony provided to the National Energy Board by
Indigenous leaders from the Saanich Peninsula Wednesday. “This is our
last hour to say no to tanker traffic … our way of life is in its last
hour,” an impassioned Chief Harvey Underwood of the Tsawout First Nation
told the board. The board has been hearing oral traditional evidence
from Indigenous groups in Victoria this week. As part of its new review
of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the board has been on the road
for the past 10 days hearing oral traditional evidence. The hearings,
which will shift to Nanaimo next week, are the result of the Federal
Court of Appeal striking down approval of the pipeline expansion
project, citing inadequate Indigenous consultation and the energy
board’s failure to review the project's impacts on the marine
environment. Andrew Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Washington tribes say Canadian pipeline will harm orcas, way of life
Several U.S. tribal leaders told Canadian energy regulators Wednesday
that increased tanker traffic from a proposed pipeline expansion project
would harm endangered orcas, natural resources and their cultural way
of life. The contentious Trans Mountain project would nearly triple the
flow of oil from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast, and
increase tanker traffic from about 60 to more than 400 vessels annually
through the Salish Sea — the inland waters of Canada and U.S. that are
also critical feeding grounds for the endangered orcas. Leaders from
four Native American tribes in Puget Sound, Washington, traveled to
Victoria, British Columbia, to testify before Canada's National Energy
Board as the panel reconsiders the impact of marine shipping from the
pipeline project, as ordered by a Canadian court. Phuong Le reports.
(Associated Press)

Washington state lawmakers propose ban on single-use plastic bags
Democratic lawmakers in Washington state said Wednesday that they plan
to pursue legislation to ban single-use plastic bags, like the ones used
in grocery and retail stores. The measure would eliminate all plastic
bags used for purchases and levy a 10-cent fee on paper bags, backers of
the bill — Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, and Rep. Strom Peterson,
D-Edmonds — announced in Seattle on Wednesday. They plan to introduce
their bill in the Legislature’s next session that starts in January. The
bill’s passage in Washington, where Democrats control both chambers of
the Legislature as well as the governorship, would make the state second
in the U.S., after California, to impose a statewide ban on single-use
plastic bags. State politicians regularly boast of having some of the
strictest environmental regulations in the nation, but they’ve also been
criticized by environmental groups for not doing enough. Hannah
Rodriguez reports. (Seattle Times) See also: State lawmakers want to ban plastic bags Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Vancouver salmon researcher receives national nod
The numbers floating around Scott Hinch’s mind are daunting, if not
impossible, to fathom. Infrastructure costs that veer into seven digits.
Thousands of kilometres of water. Tens of millions of fish. A forestry
professor with the University of B.C.’s Forest and Conservation
Sciences department, Hinch is responsible for heading up
first-of-its-kind research into salmon tracking and health monitoring.
His work was formally recognized on a global scale this week, having
received the Exceptional Leadership – Professor designation from the
national non-profit group Mitacs. The basis for Hinch’s award is rooted
in a seven-year study he recently wrapped up that tracked the migration
patterns and survival rates of millions of sockeye and steelhead
spanning from the Interior of B.C., down the Fraser River and across
Vancouver Island. John Kurucz reports. (Vancouver Courier)

Volunteers complete study of Protection Island wildlife
Off the coast of Cape George is a 370-acre island, uninhabited by
humankind, teeming with wildlife. It only takes a quick boat ride to get
to Protection Island from the Cape George Marina, but no boats are
allowed within 200 yards of the island’s shore, and kayakers are barred
from landing on shore. Protection Island is the home of 70 percent of
the Puget Sound’s nesting seabirds, and it’s one of the two places in
the Puget Sound that supports nesting areas for rare tufted puffins and
rhinoceros auklets. To protect nature, the small piece of land was
designated a Wildlife Refuge in 1982. Then, in 2010, the Department of
Natural Resources designated 24,000 acres which surround the island as
an Aquatic Reserve. Despite the lack of humans, there is still a lot of
work that goes into preserving the refuge. Much of that work is done by
volunteers who are part of the Protection Island Aquatic Reserve Citizen
Stewardship Committee, a group of citizen scientists who do everything
from counting birds and marine mammals, to observing intertidal biota,
to driving boats and writing down data. Lily Haight reports. (Port
Townsend Leader) See also: Bird watchers’ paradise Lily Haight reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

Lake Love. Forty years and counting
The brochure for the Tennant Lake Interpretive Center’s boardwalk
resembles a treasure map, but instead of leading its followers to a
secret cache of gold coins or pirate’s booty, the colorful artwork by
Margaret M. McCandless uncovers the riches of the natural world. The map
posits that those who choose to follow the roundabout path from the
historic Nielsen house on the outskirts of Ferndale through the lake’s
swampland, marshes, wetlands and sloughs should be on the lookout for a
variety of creatures—from bald eagles to yellow warblers, beavers, cedar
waxwings, wood ducks, a couple of different species of frogs, meadow
mice, dragonflies and great blue herons. While these seasonal sights
will likely be hidden by darkness by the time the Friends of Tennant
Lake and Hovander Park host a reception celebrating the center’s 40th
anniversary on Fri., Nov. 30, those who’ve traversed the acreage during
daylight hours are likely already aware of its status as a gem of
Whatcom County. Amy Kepferle reports. (Cascadia Weekly)

Ranker chosen to chair new Senate Environment & Tourism Committee and lead on environmental budget
Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island) was selected by his peers in the
Senate Democratic Caucus to chair the new Environment & Tourism
Committee in the 2019 Legislative Session.... Recognizing the incredible
environmental opportunities before us, the Senate is restructuring
environmental oversight by establishing a new committee with general
oversight of environmental protection and policies. The committee
members will also work to boost our state’s tourism industry. A 2015
study showed that Washington’s outdoor recreation industry generates
more than $20 billion annually. (San Juan Islander)

River otters fatten up on bite-sized, at-risk sturgeon
A handful of hungry river otters have added juvenile sturgeon to their
diet and it's directly impacting a Vanderhoof sturgeon recovery project.
"Downtown Vanderhoof, we have the last three or four years had six or
seven very healthy otters that seem to like Nechako white sturgeon as
part of their dining habits," said Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery
Initiative chair Wayne Salewksi. Salewski said the initiative is trying
to help the fish avoid being eaten by predators that like small fry by
growing the fish larger before releasing them. Audrey McKinnon reports.
(CBC) See also: As koi fall victim to an otter, Chinese community sees loss of cultural symbol Alex Migdal reports. (CBC)

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Salish Sea Communications provides communications and public relations services that raise visibility and engage audiences. Drawing on over 30 years experience in private, public and not-for-profit work, Mike Sato brings to you his skills and insights in developing and carrying out your print, electronic and social media projects and products. "I've been in the communications business since 1977 starting with community weekly newspapers then working for Seattle City Light, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Hawaiian Electric Company and, for 20 years, People For Puget Sound." Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told. WA State UBI #601395482